6.9/10
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215 user 105 critic

The Towering Inferno (1974)

Trailer
2:12 | Trailer
At the opening party of a colossal, but poorly constructed, office building, a massive fire breaks out that threatens to destroy the tower and everyone in it.

Director:

John Guillermin

Writers:

Richard Martin Stern (novel), Thomas N. Scortia (novel) | 2 more credits »
Reviews
Popularity
3,957 ( 474)
Won 3 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 13 nominations. See more awards »

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A 747 in flight collides with a small plane, and is rendered pilotless. Somehow the control tower must get a pilot aboard so the jet can land.

Director: Jack Smight
Stars: Charlton Heston, Karen Black, George Kennedy
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve McQueen ... Chief O'Hallorhan
Paul Newman ... Doug Roberts
William Holden ... Jim Duncan
Faye Dunaway ... Susan
Fred Astaire ... Harlee Claiborne
Susan Blakely ... Patty
Richard Chamberlain ... Simmons
Jennifer Jones ... Lisolette
O.J. Simpson ... Jernigan
Robert Vaughn ... Senator Parker
Robert Wagner ... Dan Bigelow
Susan Flannery ... Lorrie
Sheila Allen ... Paula Ramsay (as Sheila Mathews)
Norman Burton ... Giddings (as Normann Burton)
Jack Collins ... Mayor Ramsay
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Storyline

Doug Roberts, Architect, returns from a long vacation to find work nearly completed on his skyscraper. He goes to the party that night concerned he's found that his wiring specifications have not been followed and that the building continues to develop short circuits. When the fire begins, Michael O'Halleran is the chief on duty as a series of daring rescues punctuate the terror of a building too tall to have a fire successfully fought from the ground. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

The tallest building in the world is on fire. You are there with 294 other guests... ...There's no way down. There's no way out. See more »

Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 March 1975 (Finland) See more »

Also Known As:

Skyskrapan brinner See more »

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$14,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$116,000,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$139,700,000
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)| 4-Track Stereo (Japan theatrical release)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35:1 (35mm) 2.2:1(70mm)
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The fancy "blinkenlights" computer which runs the Glass Tower is an IBM AN/FSQ-7 Combat Direction Central, built in 1954 to protect the US from Soviet bomber attack. About a dozen of them were installed around the US. Based on vacuum tube technology, the 'Q-7 in action took up the whole first floor of a "bomb-proof" concrete blockhouse, and generated as much raw heat as five single-family houses. The whole system became obsolete when missiles replaced manned bombers as the main threat. Components of decommissioned systems were sold for scrap and bought by film and television production companies who wanted futuristic looking computers, despite the fact they were built in the 1950s. The components used in this film were previously used in The Time Tunnel (1966) and Earth II (1971), and later used in Futureworld (1976) and Independence Day (1996). See more »

Goofs

Steve McQueen's hair appears to change for certain scenes. For the scenes shot on location in San Francisco's Bank of America lobby, which substituted for the Glass Tower lobby, his hair is cut short and tight while the scenes shot in the studio back in Los Angeles, his hair appears a little longer and thicker. There must have been a gap in shooting locations. One example is when McQueen's character arrives at the fire, he walks with Roberts and others to the elevator to set up Forward Command. As he walks in the elevator(in San Francisco), the camera cuts to inside the elevator(LA Studio) a split second later and his hair is obviously longer. See more »

Quotes

[the firemen are trapped in an elevator shaft]
Chief O'Hallorhan: We'll go down by rope. We're gonna rappel down to 65, get on top of that elevator, use it as an exit.
Young Fireman: I can't make it. I'll fall. I know I'll fall.
Chief O'Hallorhan: Okay. Then you better go first. That way when you fall, you won't take any of us with you.
See more »

Crazy Credits

The 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. Pictures logos don't appear in the beginning. See more »

Alternate Versions

Television Versions of the movie start with an alternate opening. Instead of the camera facing the helicopter at the left, the camera is on top of the helicopter, in view of the rocks that the helicopter will go over. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Perfect Strangers: Great Balls of Fire (1991) See more »

Soundtracks

The More I See You
(uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Played as the group is heading to the elevator after the tower's lighting ceremony
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more »

User Reviews

 
Thrilling and entertaining disaster movie but full clichés and stereotypes with strong performances from Newman and McQueen
25 August 2011 | by ma-cortesSee all my reviews

¨Towering Inferno¨ title tells the story in disaster epic about a burning skyscraper and originally released in Panavision . This is the undisputed king of the catastrophe films of the 70s , a successful film that grossed at box office . This formula disaster movie from Irwin Allen ( previously winner of numerous Oscars for Poseidon ) concerns about a newly built skyscraper located in San Francisco . When takes place on the recently constructed high-rise office building and hotel a fire due to substandard material . Then , the all-star cast (Faye Dunaway, Robert Wagner , Robert Vaughn , Susan Blakely , and many others ) become caught in its penthouse restaurant . An architect (Paul Newman) and the fire fighter chief ( Steve McQueen ) combine their efforts to stop firing as when the building is set blaze .

This catastrophe movie blends action , intrigue , disaster spectacle, suspense and emotional byplay with romance included . Our heroes get stuck in the skyscraper before it burns and when fire takes place they go into action ; as they pay tribute to firemen . Filmed at the height of the disaster genre from the 7os ,this entry in the spectacular series profits of a strong acting by starring duo . The protagonists spend most of their time devising grisly ways for avoid to die and to be fired . The explosions , pyrotechnics , floods are spectacular and breathtaking , being well made by FX expert L.B. Abbot , but the film is just another habitual cold-blooded Hollywood product . Succeeds in combining various talented actors , an all star cast came together formed by Paul Newman and Steve McQueen who tie for film's top casting honors ; furthermore , William Holden , Fred Astaire , Jennifer Jones , Richard Chamberlain , O.J. Simpson , and very secondaries as Dabney Coleman , Don Gordon , Susan Flannery and Gregory Sierra . Musical Score by the classic John Williams , Spielberg's usual ; the song titled ¨We may never love like this again¨ got Academy Award winner . Colorful and gripping photography by Joseph Biroc and Fred Koenekamp , two of the main cameramen of the 60s and 70s ; both of whom had Oscar winner for cinematography . This big-budgeted disaster movie is professionally directed by John Guillermin , habitual of disaster films ( Skyjacked , King Kong, Kong lives ) and airplane movies (Blue Max) . It's an Irwin Allen's rehash of the former disaster movie clichés in which the splendid casting stands out . The picture is one of the last Allen's hits along with ¨Poseidon¨ , after that , succeeds failures as ¨Beyond Poseidon¨, ¨Swarm¨ and ¨When the time ran out¨. Rating : Good and entertaining , it's a fairly watchable disaster movie.


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